Ukraine's stealthy drone tactics expose S‑300's vulnerabilities
Drones have become an integral element of the battlefield in Ukraine. In recent months, particularly effective models controlled via optical fibre have been used to target so-called valuable targets. The S-300W4 anti-aircraft system battery definitely falls into this category. We present the details of the attack and the performance of this system.
The Ukrainians announced an attack likely carried out by a drone known as the "Wampir", or "Baba Jaga", equipped with a thermal imaging camera. According to the Ukrainians' report, the drone bombed the launcher of the medium-range anti-aircraft system S-300W4 somewhere in the Zaporizhzhia region, causing a fire. After the attack, it landed a short distance away to record the aftermath.
The footage below shows a fire and panicked Russian soldiers running around. Unfortunately, the fire did not cause the missiles in the launcher tubes to explode if they were present (it may have occurred later).
Drone vs anti-aircraft system worth hundreds of millions of dollars - behind the scenes of the clash
Medium-range anti-aircraft systems designed to shoot down aircraft at distances over 62 miles or intercept ballistic missiles are extremely expensive. In 2014, Egypt ordered four batteries of this system's export version (Antey-2500) from Russia for $1 billion.
However, this does not mean that the S-300 system and its competitors are suitable for all targets. Their weakness is slow-moving targets just above the ground, where short-range systems optimised for combatting drones or cruise missiles should complement them. In this instance, such systems were absent, the crew's training was insufficient, or the system network was too sparse.
S-300W4 system - one of Russia's best systems
Despite its visual similarities, the S-300W4 system, presented in 2014, was developed as an evolution of the S-300W version. It is significantly different from the more numerous S-300P systems. Both systems were created in the 1970s at the Almaz-Antey facilities, although the S-300W only entered service in the 1980s.
This variant was created explicitly for Soviet ground forces that required a mobile solution against NATO's ballistic and cruise missiles. For this reason, the S-300W is superior in eliminating such threats compared to the S-300P, which was designed for the Air Force and Navy.
The initial objective of the S-300W system was to destroy aircraft at a distance of up to 62 miles and to combat ballistic missiles at shorter distances (according to Russian data, up to 25 miles). As technology advanced, more sophisticated two-stage missiles, 9M82M, were developed, reaching twice the range. The latest versions allow the elimination of airborne threats at distances of up to 248 miles.
This system's missiles are notable for their high speed, reaching up to 1,064 miles per hour. However, their method of targeting and destroying targets differs from that used in advanced systems like the PAC-3 MSE.
The Russian system still relies on traditional semi-active radar guidance, which requires the launcher's fire control radar to continuously track the target until impact. A fragmentation warhead weighing about 331 pounds destroys the target.
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